There’s a Tokyo souvenir that you can’t buy in Tokyo?

If you've been to Tokyo, you might know of the popular souvenir snack called 東京ばな奈 Tokyo Banana, a banana-shaped sponge cake filled with banana-flavored cream. It has been sold since 1991 as a Tokyo souvenir. Recently, the famous snack has been promoted in collaborations with Pokémon, Winnie the Pooh, and Doraemon.

This time, the Minions are joining the Tokyo Banana series as 東京ばな奈ミニオン「見ぃつけたっ」濃厚バナナカスタード味 Tokyo banana minion mītsuketa nōkō banana kasutādo aji (Tokyo Banana Minion Rich Banana Custard flavor)!

The Tokyo Bananas that are part of the special promotion, however, are different from other collaboration versions in two important ways. First, the banana cream is richer than usual. According to the press release, the Minion Tokyo Banana contains 20% more banana.

The second difference is that you can’t buy them in Tokyo.

If you thought that was a misprint, don’t worry, it isn't. You actually can’t buy this flavor in Tokyo, even though Tokyo Banana is so famous as a “Tokyo Souvenir.”

"So then, where can I buy it?" you may be wondering.

It’s only being sold in parts of the Kansai area, specifically only in Osaka, Kyoto, and Hyōgo prefectures. This is around 400 km away from Tokyo. According to the release, the reason why the Tokyo Banana Minions aren't available in Tokyo could be because “Someone played a prank. Maybe it's the Minions?”

Bob, Stuart, Kevin, Carl, and Otto are printed on the banana-shaped cakes. As Minions fans surely know, these Minions will be appearing in the upcoming movie Minions: The Rise of Gru

Pay attention to the special limited design bags in Minion colors (yellow and blue) too! Bob is happily looking at the Tokyo Banana because his face is printed on it.